Air ambulances are used to quickly transport patients in life-threatening situations by using helicopters equipped with medical equipment and staffed by medical professionals. According to the Association of Air Medical Services, more than 550,000 patients in the U.S use air ambulance services every year.
On July 1, 2021, Banner Health https://www.bannerhealth.com, and Global Medical Response https://globalmedicalresponse.com, partnered to extend air ambulance services in Arizona through BannerAir™. This will be the first hospital and air ambulance partnership in the Phoenix metro area where Banner Health is going to provide hospital-to-hospital transports and on-scene emergency calls.
Base stations will be placed throughout the state to ensure timely response to neighboring cities. In addition to the emergency helicopters currently available in Arizona, BannerAir has added four helicopters, which are designed to land in higher elevations and rougher terrains in the state.
Staff, medical equipment, and medications onboard Banner Air helicopters enable them to handle nearly anyone with serious trauma injuries or a critical illness. A helicopter can be in flight within minutes of dispatch 24/7.
As an in-flight intensive care unit, BannerAir carries advanced ventilators, cardiac defibrillators, specialty trauma tools, and other critical care level equipment that can help patients with severe injuries or health risks.
Richard Swedbergh, COO for Banner Health Emergency Transportation emphasized, “BannerAir will transport patients to Banner and also non-Banner hospitals. Our flight crews are empowered to make the decision as to what hospital to take the patient in regard to the best interest of the patient.”